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E-Marketing Performance Blog

Why Your Social Media Ads Are Giving You Lackluster Results

Posted on May 5, 2017 by Lexie Lu

Social media can be one of the best ways to attract new business and encourage past customers to purchase from you again. With more and more demographics taking advantage of various social media platforms, just about any business in any industry can reach their target audience through one social media platform or another.

Unfortunately, simply posting social media ads won’t be enough to get you great results. If you’re not using the format appropriately, you may have trouble attracting your audience. If you find you’re struggling to get the results you hoped for, you may need to adjust your strategy.

To help you get better results from your social media ads, here are five things to look out for.

1. You’re Not Targeting Your Audience

One of the biggest benefits of social advertising is that it allows you to pick and choose exactly who you’d like to reach. By identifying your target demographic, you ensure the right people are viewing your ads. This can save you time and money while also improving your conversion rate.

Many business owners fail to see the value in creating a super-specific target market. Instead, they attempt to attract everyone, hoping this will increase their chances of getting a new customer or client — but it has the opposite affect. If you’re not creating ads specifically for your target audience, you’re decreasing your chances of getting the results you’re after.

2. You’re Overselling

Today’s buyer is incredibly aware of ads — and they’re not fans. They don’t like to feel like a product or service is being shoved upon them. If they decide to make a purchase, they want to feel like they came to that decision by themselves, not that they gave into a sales pitch.

Your social media ads should blend seamlessly with the rest of your audience’s timeline. In fact, if they can’t tell it’s an advertisement, you’ll probably see a higher amount of engagement. Instead of trying to sell a specific product or service, focus on creating a conversation. Once you have your audience’s interest, nudge them toward a product or service that may help them solve their problems.

3. You Don’t Have a Strategy

Many businesses approach social media without much of a strategy. They post whatever they want whenever they want, not really considering what their audience is looking for. Unless you have incredibly loyal customers or you’re extremely interesting or entertaining, you probably won’t get much engagement.

The same goes for your social media ads. If you’re simply creating an ad and posting it without considering your goals, your buyer, or the purchasing process, you’ll probably struggle to grab anyone’s attention. Be sure you’re completely thinking through your ad strategy, including the fine details.

4. You’re Using Low-Quality Images

Images and videos help break through your audience’s newsfeed. When you use an image or video in your social media advertising strategy, select an image that will grab attention — but not because it’s low-quality.

A low-quality image can make your company look unprofessional and push your audience away from engaging with your ad. Be sure you’re selecting only high-resolution images for your ads. Always include an image or a video with the ads you post on social media. This can increase your chances of getting the results you’re after.

5. You Don’t Have a Personality

One of the most important rules for social media is to treat it like you’re having a conversation with a friend or family member. Even if you’re an expert in your industry, you want to appear helpful, friendly, and personable. If you’re ust spitting out facts or posting links, your audience won’t want to connect with you or your brand. The same is true for your social media ads.

When you run a social media advertising campaign, use language that resonates with your brand and target audience. This means it should have the personality of your brand and include interesting and engaging language that will encourage your audience to connect with you.

Don’t Give Up

If you’re not finding success you expected with your social media ads, don’t give up just yet. It’s probably because you’re making one of these five mistakes. You can get the results you’re looking for by simply making some adjustments.

Take a moment to restart or refine your social media ads. Check that you’re including your personality, are featuring a high-resolution image, and that you’re targeting the right people. Think through your goals for the campaign and consider what information your audience needs — not what products you want them to buy.